LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Pepperdine beach volleyball (2-4) swept CSUN (0-3) to open the Battle 4 L.A. before falling to No. 4 USC (6-2) five sets to none.
The Waves started the morning right, emerging victorious in a trio of deciding third sets against the Matadors. The first flight of Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani dominated, holding their opponents to just 13 and 9 points in their two sets respectively.
The second flight of Maddy Snow and Gabbie Perez showed grit, eking out the 19-17 deciding point win.
Later in the afternoon, Pepperdine turned their attention to the fourth-ranked Trojans. USC earned the sweep on their home courts.
Emi Erickson and Ginevra Merlini kept it competitive on court four as the lone Pepperdine pair to take it three sets against the Women of Troy. Their first point was perhaps most memorable, needing a combined 50 rallies before the set was earned by the blue and orange.
Pepperdine vs. CSUN
1s: Eden/Cyrani (21, 21) vs. Heflin/Miles (13, 9)
2s: Snow/Perez (16, 21, 19) vs. Mendiola/Hall (21, 12, 17)
3s: Jagielska/Mancuso (24, 19, 15) vs. Rodig/Henderson (22, 21, 10)
4s: Merlini/Erickson (21, 21) vs. Coggins/Halbert (16, 15)
5s: Bubelis/Woodruff (21, 19, 15) vs. Constable/Rogers (12, 21, 11)
Pepperdine vs. No. 4 USC
1s: Eden/Cyrani (16, 20) vs. Henson/Wood (21, 22)
2s: Snow/Perez (15, 17) vs. Pater/Coakley (21, 21)
3s: Jagielska/Mancuso (13, 15) vs. Embry/Stephens (21, 21)
4s: Merlini/Erickson (26, 13, 6) vs. Keefe/Truslow (24, 21, 15)
5s: Bubelis/Woodruff (9, 22) vs. Zaengle/Kok (21, 24)
The Battle 4 L.A. continues tomorrow as Pepperdine heads to the campus of UCLA for another doubleheader. The StatBroadcast links for the Wave's remainder of games in the event are below:
DUAL 3: Pepperdine vs. No. 11 Long Beach State | Saturday, Feb. 28 | 12 p.m.
DUAL 4: Pepperdine vs. No. 2 UCLA | Saturday, Feb. 28 | 2 p.m.
After closing out the local festivities tomorrow, Pepperdine will head to Honolulu, Hawaii for four games starting March 5.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Established in 2011, Pepperdine beach volleyball quickly rose to national prominence, winning two national championships in three years (2012, 2014) while reaching the final four in five of its first six seasons. Joining the WCC ahead of the 2016 season with the sport becoming NCAA-sanctioned, the Waves won the inaugural and first three WCC Championships while reaching eight straight conference championship games from 2016-24. The program has consistently recruited top talent in the sport, with 21 student-athletes garnering All-American honors since 2012.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine beach volleyball, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBVB.
